digestive tract
nounDefinition of digestive tract
: the tubular passage typically extending from the mouth to the anus or cloaca that functions in digestion and absorption of food and elimination of residual waste and that in most mammals includes the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, intestine, and anus
— called also alimentary canal, alimentary tract
Examples of digestive tract in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Methane in Earth’s atmosphere comes from a variety of biological and geological sources — everything from decaying plants in wetlands and the digestive tracts of cattle and other ruminants to coal mining and oil drilling. — Tom Metcalfe, NBC News, "'Massive pool' of methane discovered hidden deep underground," 27 Aug. 2019 Coleman said several of the dead cats had empty stomachs and digestive tracts, indicating they had been neglected and starved. — Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, "North County man accused of killing 10 captive cats pleads not guilty," 23 July 2019 The contents of the animal's digestive tract were collected as a part of the autopsy process. — Debra Goldschmidt, CNN, "Alligator did not kill South Carolina man," 26 June 2019 Boston Marathon runners and Olympic athletes have higher than usual amounts of Veillonella bacteria in their digestive tract following races, a new study finds. — Susan Scutti, CNN, "Could the poo of elite athletes provide an ingredient to improve physical performance?," 25 June 2019 The main job of your liver is filtering blood that’s flowing from your digestive tract to the rest of your body. — Maggie O'neill, Health.com, "How Long Does Alcohol Stay in Your System? We Asked an Expert," 20 June 2019 Inulin is a type of prebiotic, a substance that’s used by the microorganisms in your digestive tract and positively influences health. — Christy Brissette, Washington Post, "What is inulin, and why is it showing up in so many food products?," 12 June 2019 Another fiber study — again in mice — showed what happens when the bacteria in the digestive tract don’t get any fiber. — Julia Belluz, Vox, "Nearly all Americans fail to eat enough of this actual superfood," 15 July 2019 The report does not state whether the fecal material was given in liquid form as an infusion into the digestive tract or swallowed as pills. — Denise Grady, New York Times, "Fecal Transplant Is Linked to a Patient’s Death, the F.D.A. Warns," 13 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'digestive tract.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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